Two Detained And Several Displaced As The University Of Ibadan Shuts Down Campus

Two students of the University Of Ibadan have been detained by the police for being on school grounds during a campus lockdown. Many more have returned home or found themselves squatting due to the abruptness of the lockdown, which is in response to students protesting the hike in school fees. 

From about ₦40,000 per session, students of the university are now expected to pay up to ₦412,000. 

The 2017 Protests

This round of protest is not the first of its kind in the school,  in May  2017, students of the university staged a peaceful protest tagged ‘#No ID card, No Exam’ in response to the institution’s failure to provide identity cards to students when they were due. This denied students of scholarship opportunities, made it difficult for them to open and validate bank accounts, and more. The protest was led by Ojo Aderemi, the Student Union President at the time, and some other union leaders, leading to the school’s closure for weeks, and the rustication of several students much later in 2019. 

Ojo Aderemi and 128 others appeared before the Students’ Disciplinary Committee (SDC) on April 11, 2019, and received the following penalties; Aderemi was rusticated for four semesters, the Speaker of SRC was rusticated for two, the Deputy Speaker, Chief Whip and Clerk for one semester respectively.  This outcome not only led to a loss of interest in student politics but also a palpable fear of the Student Disciplinary Committee.

The 2024 Protests

Initially, the school management proposed the fee increment with an August 4th deadline, they also warned that the portal would no longer be accessible for late payments. That meant that whoever failed to pay before the deadline would miss both first and second-semester exams; essentially failing the entire school year. The students, left with no choice, were almost willing to bear it, until the electricity supply within the school dwindled, with the supply reduced to ten hours daily. Then the protests began, and the Student Union Government rode that protest wave to request a fee reduction. 

In response, the school suspended the August 4th deadline and on the 28th of August, after raising hopes that the fees would be reduced, announced a new deadline, September 4th, and reiterated the no fees no exams policy. The secretary of the university governing council issued a circular justifying the fee increase by citing prevailing economic conditions and urged students to utilize the Federal Government’s student loan fund and other scholarships offered by the university and various philanthropists for support.

This sparked a fresh wave of protests leading the school to issue a directive asking everyone to leave the campus before 2 pm on August 31st. Students were forced to make emergency accommodation plans among other things. 

Some students have remained in school, but they have been picked up by the police. On Monday, September 2nd, two students were arrested; Aduwo Ayodele Gabriel and Wale. Currently, there are police and army vans littered all over the school premises, and students have no idea what to expect next.